


Flashforward

by Xeen



Category: Almost Human
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-01
Updated: 2014-07-06
Packaged: 2018-01-21 12:59:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1551329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xeen/pseuds/Xeen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The year is 2114...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

 

_During the last decades, John Kennex had never seen the point of celebrating anything. Humanity would sooner than later disintegrate because of corruption and designer drugs and fall into oblivion. Intelligent machines would eventually rule a pacified Earth. For years, the former detective had revelled in finding ways to avoid these boisterous festivities. It was some achievement, in a more than ever tech driven world, focused on advertising trivial events, and sweeping real problems under the proverbial rug. Why save mankind and the planet when you can distort the truth?_

_But despite his natural inclination, and general pessimism, he couldn't possibly be a no-show today without attracting more suspicion. He was the main attraction, the reason top brass had organized the pointless shindig. It's not everyday a former police celeb reaches his hundred and some birthday relatively unscathed._

_They were happy to test their brand new gizmo to meet his only request. Hence, he was teleported from his Greek island residence to grim New Pittsburgh. Upon arrival, he was given what he suspected to be a non-standard medical check-up. He couldn't blame them. Who wouldn't jump at a chance to study exclusive tech, courtesy of AWOL genius Rudy Lom?_

_Once on site, they even provided him with a total make-over. It was obvious his reclusive look couldn't mesh with the very formal occasion. So here he was, a well-groomed and hardly recognizable poster boy, scratch that, old man, standing on an oversized podium with la crème de la crème, enduring the global telecast, or whatever they called these kind of events now, as well as too many decibels from a just as oversized audience clapping. He adjusted his sensory unit, and blinked several times to shade his state of the art synthetic eyes from the blinding spotlights._

_The announcement, in the crisp voice of the digital United Nations speaker, boomed from a transmitter somewhere overhead, covering the insistent buzz of numerous patrol drones in hover over the giant plaza. On cue, he gave a little bow, eliciting more cheers and applause from the crowds._

_The universe had had the last laugh. John Kennex, the loose cannon, was the last one standing from his old precinct. He felt like a dinosaur. Nobody was meant to live so long, but thanks to healthcare and tech improvements, he looked younger than he did in his forties. He had adapted seamlessly from reluctant cyborg to almost android. Still, he was now facing the gloomy prospect of another hundred years of boring bliss, possibly more. In the end, he would turn into a tangle of pumps and circuits floating in way too many shades of purple mush, his smile the only human trait left of former police Commissioner John Kennex. Lucky me, he thought, gracing his captive audience with a benevolent smile._

_While his sensors kept a close watch on the distant ominous Wall, he began his address in a commanding voice, clinging to the hope he would eventually lull everybody to sleep. It was a long speech. Lucky for him, thanks to reliable integrated circuits, he could multitask. He shut himself from his surroundings, and went down memory lane._

_Giant holoportraits of his former colleagues were expected to provide a context for the younger crowd. Commander Sandra Maldonado had resigned and relocated to the Martian colonies soon after she had been cleared in the global MX hack scandal. Unfortunately, she had met an untimely death in the collapse of her atmodome circa 2070. Despite her chrome enhancements, Assistant DA Valerie Stahl had suffered a fatal brain haemorrhage in a car crash before she barely reached fifty-five. His best friend, Lieutenant Richard Paul, had been one of the first casualties during the Wall Rebellions in 2084. Rudy Lom had finally pulled the perfect disappearing act before the dawn of the new century. And Dorian…_

 

to be continued...

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Part 1

"You wanted to see me?" Kennex barged in, not bothering to knock.  
"Come on in John. And sit." Captain Maldonado perused her files quickly. "How's Dorian?" she looked up, eyes peered and focused.  
"Dorian? He's totally fine!" Kennex protested, hands flying.  
"You're a great detective but you've always been a lousy liar, John. I like that in a man but not so much in a police officer."  
"What?"  
"Rudy…"  
"Rudy spilled the beans?" he interrupted.  
"Rudy was the epitome of discretion. So I am going to ask again, and I'll ask you only this one time, and you will give me a straight answer, are we clear? How's Dorian?"  
"He's... he's got a file in his head. Rudy says it's an organic memory. And don't ask me because I have no idea what he means exactly. You should ask him, I'm a cop, not an android whisperer."  
"And here we have a problem, John, because Rudy says there's absolutely nothing wrong with Dorian. So which is it?"  
"Listen…"  
"John, I know you both care about the DRN but if he's in any way a menace to this precinct or to the force, you need to tell me now."  
Kennex sagged on his chair. "You want the truth? We don't know! I have absolutely no fucking idea what's wrong with him, and at this point Rudy doesn't know either but he came up with a theory."  
"I'm listening."  
"Off the record?"  
"Yep, go on."  
"It was before Dorian was assigned to me. Rudy sort of needed a friend, and he used a decommissioned android. It was Dorian. You can argue he still needs a friend, but Dorian is out. He's really pissed that Rudy tinkered with his files."  
"I see," Maldonado sat back in her chair.  
"Wait. You knew about Rudy and Dorian?"  
"Of course, why do you think I assigned the DRN to you? Come on, give me some credit."  
"It was a good call Sandra."  
"I know."  
"Dee realized Rudy had poked inside his head without his consent. You understand he made sure it was not gonna happen again any time soon. Despite their bunking arrangement, he managed to ostracize Rudy. But he doesn't know I know. I mean I hope he doesn't. I just pray he still considers me a friend."  
"To the point, John, I haven't got all day."  
"Rudy discovered a hidden file in his memory banks. Rudy's… weird, but he knows what he's doing, you got to give him that. If he can't find what's wrong, we have a problem. I talked to him, he's really concerned. It's not like him to panic when it comes to robots. He can't trace the file back to its original source. As far as we know, it could have been planted from the beginning."  
"You mean it could be a worm or a virus?"  
"Yeah, could be. Could be Vaughn's last gift for all we know, or a remnant memory of his years befriending Dorian off the books or anything else. It could be not relevant at all. Could be a glitch."  
"Okay."  
"I'm not sure about the specifics but Rudy says it's not part of his synthetic soul programming. He didn't elaborate, but I think he's afraid it could infect our entire system. Well, if it comes to this..."  
"I see."  
"Anyway, he asked me to report anything odd or suspicious." He shrugged. "Dorian's been singing a lot lately…"  
Maldonado's mouth twitched. "I take it you're in charge of monitoring Dorian?" He nodded back. "Liaise with Rudy, but John, keep me in the loop, okay? It's a miracle Rudy didn't have a complete meltdown during Dorian's evaluation. If anything goes awry, I need to be informed ASAP..."  
"You will."  
"… because I don't need a DRN that remembers things that don't exist. I've got enough problems with your memories. I don't blame you, but you're not out of the woods. I know it's been difficult for you to come back to the precinct. You're aware Internal affairs are all over you already. So, it only means I don't blame you yet." Her eyes wandered back to her files. John leapt from his chair. "I'm not finished. Should Chief Beckett ask me to decommission the DRN, you know I will fight against it." She paused. "Guys, I can only cover your sorry asses for so long. Right now, I want all my bases covered when it comes to Dorian because my hands are tied. Giving you a DRN was kind of my pet project. If they get the impression that something's wrong, they'll terminate him. But don't worry, I'm confident Rudy will find an answer. Go back to work. And John?"  
"Yes?" he turned around.  
"You'll get through this. We all will eventually."

to be continued


	3. Part 2

_After having been treated with the pomp and ceremony reserved for heads of government, the current tossing around with three hundred happy few felt like a walk in the park. Taking in the small gathering, he focused his enhanced sensors on random people, eavesdropping on surreal conversations. He didn't have to be a rocket scientist to understand it was a total loss of his time and an insult to his intelligence. He tuned out, and tried to make the best of his evening, intent on ransacking the open bar with method and discipline._

_Thanks to Rudy's prophylactic views, his current conception would help him from enjoying it. Overindulging in fine spirits will never give him the desired effect again, but still it gave him with an illusion of control over his body, if not his mind. He'd learned a long time ago that he could no longer be intoxicated, even if he wanted to, even when he needed to. Glass in hand, he looked around for a friendly face, or at least a known face, an impossible task due to his age, as well as because of a widespread nuisance: plastic surgery. Everybody looked the same, their age indeterminate, something between I'm-not-as-young-as-you-think and I-could-be–your-offspring-for-all-you-know, -just like me, he noted with a derisive smirk. At the moment, he felt like a useless prop, and that's exactly what he was, in some measure._

_A tinkling laugh coaxed him to the far end of the reception hall where he faced a scantily clad brunette, draped around a police VIP he knew for a fact was at least twice her age. They were engaged in a lively exchange but when the man turned to him, his nonchalant façade cracked. The steel-blue eyes made Kennex squirm out of his skin. "John Kennex, as I live and breathe! Here we are again."_

_Avoiding the contact, "Commissioner Beckett," he said curtly, staring at the buxom young woman. He wouldn't put his money on a miraculous resurrection, so she was probably a clone. In any way, she was a far cry from the winsome clean-cut Valerie Stahl he used to know._

_"Hello," she held out a hand that was small and fresh, and shook his with an infectious enthusiasm. Her spaghetti strap slid down her shoulder. "I'm Vera. Valerie Stahl was my grand mother," she added with a mischievous smile, putting him out of his misery._

_"Of course she was," he muttered, eyebrows frowned. She looked even younger up close but he was having trouble to peel off his eyes from her cleavage. You old perv, he thought._

_"I never had the chance to meet her, obviously," she offered with a carefree grin and a shrug of shoulders. "My mother said you were quite the head turner back in the days. I see you still are."_

_"Flattery will get you everywhere my dear. Your mother around?"_

_"Nope. She's in New Napa. Wine expert, remember?"_

_"Fascinating," he took a sip of his bland drink, and winced. She was going to make him suffer, no way he was going through this again. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I've got nothing to do elsewhere." He slowly turned away._

_"Not so fast grandpa!" Oblivious of Beckett's outrage, she untangled herself from her partner, and followed him, her long strides matching John's._

_"What did you say?" he stopped, oddly self-conscious._

_She grinned. "You heard me."_

_"Damn right, young lady. What makes you think that…"_

_"I need your help," she said, lowering her voice which dropped two octaves._

_"Too bad. I'm not interested."_

_"Please? Pretty please," she pouted for the gallery._

_"Don't make a fool of yourself. I could be your dad's grandpa."_

_"A chance I don't have a father, then," she spat. "Could we go to somewhere more… let's say private?"_

_"I thought you'd never asked!" he played along, feeling like he was drowning. Old habits did die hard._


	4. Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kennex and Dorian banter.

**Part 3**

 

"Someone is more aggravated than usual," Dorian commented.

"Back to your colloquial routine, huh? You mean annoyed? Irritated? Damn right I am! What were you thinking?"

"Excuse me if I have no idea what you're talking about, man."

"Come on! You've exposed me to serious computer shit for three hours this morning. You're not going to pretend you don't have any idea why I'm pissed!"

"I was told that under your gruff varnish, there was actually an educated cop."

"And here you go again! Is it because of what happened yesterday?"

"Technically, nothing happened yesterday."

Kennex chose to ignore the pun. "Really? Listen, I'm not in the mood Dorian. You make me look like a fool, I can take it, but only because we made the arrest. We are partners. Hit me. Is it because of what happened yesterday?"

Dorian glowered at him, his face going all sorts of green. Should he report it back to Rudy? Dorian never did green before.

"You know damn well it is!" Dorian burst out. " _You_ were my driver. _You_ disappeared. You are aware I was on my backup power. I had to walk 8,257 miles to get back to Rudy's lab."

"What do you want me to say? I'm sorry? I'm not! You're the one who scanned my balls."

"I already apologize for that embarrassing behaviour. I thought we were past it. So is it still payback time?"

"That's not the point. You told me to get a life. When am I supposed to do just that when you seem to be in a dire need of a permanent babysitter?"

"I don't need a babysitter. I need someone I can trust."

"Why can't you just admit it? You're jealous."

"Of Alejandra, please, you can't be serious!" Dorian winced. "Oh, you don't even know her name? Man, you should be ashamed of yourself." He turned his back to his partner and purposely walked out of the interrogation room with Kennex in tow. "And spare me the macho details, please," he spat. "I get it."

"Ah! What do you get exactly? I wonder why I bother to ask since you're obviously biased today."

"I said I get it. You're only human," he added with a shrug.

"Here we go again!"

"When I'm of use in advancing your career or saving your ass, I'm your partner."

"Forgot Maldonado only took us out for a test drive? We're not out of the woods… yet!"

"I guess I am delusional when I actually posit we are friends," Dorian added, pointedly ignoring his partner's comment.

"Come on, don't be such a drama queen, Dorian," Kennex tried to keep his voice down to avoid any unwanted attention.

"We wrapped a gut-wrenching case, and you needed the distraction," Dorian continued. "I totally get it, man."

"God, you could have charged me with the taxi fare! You don't need a personal chauffeur."

Dorian stopped abruptly. "I did not expect to be left behind with no means of transportation."

"That's enough. You know what? Let me make it up to you. Let's go get some noodles."

"Noodles aren't a cure for cancer. Or a valid peace offering. Noodles are your normal diet, man. You're still aware that I don't eat. Why should I go?"

"I don't know. Bonding? Like you said, we are friends…"

"What you need is a human friend. I will never fall into that category."

"Okay, enough. What do you really want from me Dorian? A stupid shirt with our names on it? I don't even know what your favourite colour is, for god's sake!"

" _That_ is an interesting notion, John, because I don't know either."


	5. Part 4

**Part 4**

_"Their deaths, that was your defining moment, am I wrong?" Vera insisted. She sat her glass between them and her forefinger began to trace sinusoidal lines in the sand._

_"Of anything, that's what you choose to talk about?" he said, unable to suppress the edge in his voice. "As much as we all like to pretend otherwise, we all die eventually."  
_

_"I mean, everybody from your old team just died one after the other."_

_He gulped a mouthful of bourbon, "Yeah. There's one proper way to sum it up: shit happens."_

_"Come on! You were a detective, don't you think it's pretty convenient that their lives were simply erased in a matter of years? You never suspected someone was behind it?"_

_He shook his head, reminded of the dozen times he had scanned their files without finding any evidence of foul play._

_"That got me thinking," she insisted. "All these unanswered questions, everything wrapped up in a neat little bow…"_

_Maybe she was only begging for closure, a common trait for the one left behind with no viable answers. He decided to play along. He knew where she was going. "You know everything there's to know about the investigation. The press covered it all extensively. Water under the bridge. You should move on. I know I had," he said, his eyes set on the horizon which was turning a deep red over the Pacific._

_"Come on Kennex! You and your... partner were the only two left standing from the original team. I'm sure you didn't murder them. So, at the end of the day…"_

_"So you're sure that if you keep banging on about the same suspicions you'll find my partner guilty?" he chuckled. "Why? He had no motive."_

_"Who else? Come on,_ think _. Who stood to gain from the crime?"_

_"I have no idea but I didn't buy it then and I'm not going to buy it now. Dorian went after Vaughn repeatedly. After the MXs were hacked, you have to understand that he went alone behind the Wall. He knew the risks. He did it on his own volition. He's…" It took all his resolve to stop his voice from faltering. "… Dorian was special. You wouldn't understand."_

_"I had access to Dr. Lom's files on the DRN program. There's a whole file about what he calls organic memories…"_

_"Okay. Stop right here. You want to implicate Dorian, that's fine. You're not the first one._ They _tried that already. I didn't cave in because I agreed with their conclusions. I left the Force to make a point. I don't need to hear more idiotic ramblings from another conspiracy theorist, even if you're family. You may rehash the facts and twist the files, it won't make him more guilty now that he was then."_

_"Would you agree to review my files at least?"_

_"Listen, you show me yours, I show you mine," he nodded, "no double entendre, you're not my type,' he said jokingly. "Don't you think I had time to check everything twice and think it over and over? I had twenty five fucking years, for god's sake!"_

_"How do you explain that your synthetic disappeared then?"_

_"I don't. Maybe he had daddy issues. Or he got lost. Or he committed android suicide and was used for spare parts. Or better yet, he was killed."_

_"You're lying."_

_"Am I?"_

_"Yes, you are."_

_"You Chromes are too smug for your own good."_

_"Not that it is any of your business, but I'm not a Chrome. My mother disapproved of the procedure. She was, and still is, a free spirit, and an earth lover. For instance, I'm her natural clone. When she decided to have a child, she chose apomictic parthenogenesis. Turning to anti-aging therapy when I was thirty, is my sole doing."_

_"When you were thirty?" He turned on his scanner, searching for flaws or evidence of age decay and found none. "How old are you?"_

_"Blunt. I like it. I'll be fifty-five next June. Thanks for asking."_

_"Fifty-five? How?"_

_"You'll draw my grand mother family tree on your own free time when you're back on your island. An island, is it? And you live alone back there?"_

_"Don't change the conversation. And yes, I live alone."_

_"I mean, no natives slaving for you? No robotic help of any kind?"_

_"One. A refurbished MX I was given when I retired from the Force."_

_"I don't believe you."_

_"I don't care. I'm still listening."_

_"Excuse me?"_

_"You have a theory. I want to hear it. It should be entertaining."_

_"I think that you retired and left the solar system with your DRN and Dr. Lom."_

_"Excellent. You should write anticipation novels Ms… ?"_

_"Bellman. Vera Bellman." John Kennex sighed. Sixty years later, it still stings, he thought. "I'm an astrophysicist," she volunteered._

_"You don't say."_

_"I think you settled your clone into a cosy life in Greece when you live in, say, Betelgeuse. Hawking instantaneous transportation device."_

_"Convenient. You're aware it doesn't exist?"_

_"Yet. It doesn't exist yet. You stated that you lost contact with your DRN and Dr. Vaughn in your deposition, so how would you know? It's common knowledge Vaughn did extensive work on the subject. He had his synthetic assistants research quantum portals. I think when you came behind the Wall after your DRN, you discovered a vast network of connected worlds. I think you used that opportunity to make your synthetic partner disappear."_

_"My synthetic, really? You don't have a clue about DRNs, do you?" Kennex sighed. "Dorian. His name was Dorian. And you don't understand the first thing about him."_


End file.
